The Washington Capitals entered southern Florida intent on erasing a poor performance against the Atlanta Thrashers the previous evening. After a 19-save performance by Jose Theodore, the Caps (44-22-6-94, first in Southeast, third in East) walked out of BankAmerica Center with a needed 3-0 victory.
The shutout win was Theodore's second of the season, and 28th of his career.
Theodore was strong, but the Caps defense player much better than in recent games, and actually allowed zero shots in the third period. Coach Bruce Boudreau remarked afterward that he'd never been involved in a game where that had happened.
Brooks Laich and Viktor Kozlov scored for the Caps while the game was in doubt. Mike Green added an empty net goal with 1:27 remaining to send the moderate crowd home. John Erskine had assists on both Laich and Kozlov's goals.
Laich's goal was a short-handed goal. His wrist shot beat Tomas Vokoun, honored pregame for his 500th career game, from a short angle.
Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's leading scorer with 49 goals, was held once again without hitting the milestone. He did assist on Green's clincher, as did Alexander Semin.
Florida (34-26-10-78, third in East) lost their fourth straight game and second consecutive home game. The Panthers are among a group of teams fighting for their playoff lives, and trail Carolina by one point for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Caps continue their five-game road trip Thursday night in Tampa at 7:30 pm.
___________________________________________________
SCORESHEET
1ST PERIOD
None
2ND PERIOD
05:46 Short - Brooks Laich (18), Wrist Shot. Assist: Erskine
3RD PERIOD
02:36 Viktor Kozlov (12), Wrist Shot. Assist: Nylander, Erskine
18:33 Mike Green (25), Empty Net. Assist: Semin, Ovechkin
___________________________________________________
THREE STARS
1. B. Laich - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
2. V. Kozlov - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
3. J. Theodore - WAS (Saves: 19, Save Pct: 1.000)
The shutout win was Theodore's second of the season, and 28th of his career.
Theodore was strong, but the Caps defense player much better than in recent games, and actually allowed zero shots in the third period. Coach Bruce Boudreau remarked afterward that he'd never been involved in a game where that had happened.
Brooks Laich and Viktor Kozlov scored for the Caps while the game was in doubt. Mike Green added an empty net goal with 1:27 remaining to send the moderate crowd home. John Erskine had assists on both Laich and Kozlov's goals.
Laich's goal was a short-handed goal. His wrist shot beat Tomas Vokoun, honored pregame for his 500th career game, from a short angle.
Alex Ovechkin, the NHL's leading scorer with 49 goals, was held once again without hitting the milestone. He did assist on Green's clincher, as did Alexander Semin.
Florida (34-26-10-78, third in East) lost their fourth straight game and second consecutive home game. The Panthers are among a group of teams fighting for their playoff lives, and trail Carolina by one point for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Caps continue their five-game road trip Thursday night in Tampa at 7:30 pm.
___________________________________________________
SCORESHEET
1ST PERIOD
None
2ND PERIOD
05:46 Short - Brooks Laich (18), Wrist Shot. Assist: Erskine
3RD PERIOD
02:36 Viktor Kozlov (12), Wrist Shot. Assist: Nylander, Erskine
18:33 Mike Green (25), Empty Net. Assist: Semin, Ovechkin
___________________________________________________
THREE STARS
1. B. Laich - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
2. V. Kozlov - WAS (Goals: 1, Assists: 0)
3. J. Theodore - WAS (Saves: 19, Save Pct: 1.000)
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